Was driving and the Engine Oil light came on. As I was only a few blocks away I drove back home and was going to change it. It's the old canister type filter, grab my oil filter wrench, to small for the Bronco's filter, try to twist it off by hand, no luck, grabbed a wire and 3/8 ratched, wrapped it around, started ratcheting, and broke the wire. As I was running out of options, decided to just add a bit of used, and go buy one of these:

The Mid-Ohio Lucas races were inhabited by a terrific group of karting kids who were crazy fast, ran inches from each other every race and cleanly swapped positions constantly. Appropriately my times were well over a second slower than theirs so progress was measured in shortening the gap between them at the end of each race. In the first race held on to the lead group for about 1/3rd of the race, the second race hung on to about half way and in the third race had a race long battle with one of the fast kids who wasn't quite at the same level as the karting kids. My best lap was .6 seconds off the fastest lap of the last race so that was relative progress.

The masters guys who have the pace to challenge me didn't make it to Mid-O so I won all three masters trophies as the other 3 masters were over 2 seconds slower but they had fun battling with each other. Sorry I didn't have enough to challenge the fast kids but took solace in consistent laps within a few tenths of each other.

The overall level of driving was very impressive. There is a no contact rule in the series requiring a pit stop if you have even incidental contact during a race. If you don't come in you get a 35 second time penalty instead. There were cases in all three races where contact happened that was so incidental that it required video review to confirm. None of us like the rule because it unfairly penalizes the car being touched from behind but the underlying purpose of the rule is safety in a learning race series. Wheel to wheel contact is seriously dangerous so if you know incidental contact will ruin your race you leave a little extra margin to avoid the penalty. I benefited in every race as my distance from the pack meant I never had contact with anyone but stayed within 35 seconds of the leaders so those who were penalized were dropped back and pushed me up the chart.

During the entire three days of being on track there wasn't a single crash or wall contact. There were a few harmless spins (I had one over the jump turn in practice) but nobody got a crash damage bill. Having done a lot of these race events over the past 16 years there haven't been many when everyone got a clean getaway. :-)

Just a curiosity of mine... Would you say the youth are faster because they have less fear about the whole thing? I'm not implying that you were more fearful, of course. I was just surmising that, if the cars were all allegedly equal in their setup, one would think that experience would net faster laps.

Just a curiosity of mine... Would you say the youth are faster because they have less fear about the whole thing? I'm not implying that you were more fearful, of course. I was just surmising that, if the cars were all allegedly equal in their setup, one would think that experience would net faster laps.

The kids are at the peak of their strength, endurance and reaction times. Being 40-50 years their senior... I am not. One of the places it manifests is in brake zones. The kids are 15-35 lbs lighter than I am and in a momentum car that makes a difference. By myself I can compensate by braking earlier with lighter brake pressure to float in equivalent speed into a corner while keeping the car more balanced. But during a race they can brake later and harder while balancing the car on it's nose more aggressively for an easy pass at the end of a long straight. With less weight they also pull me out of the straights, pick up my draft and sail by getting to top speed faster than I can.

If I run consistent laps within a second to a second and a half of the fast kids I'll be with or ahead of most of the masters and beat the fast kids who have contact (requiring a pit stop or time penalty) or spin.

In terms of fear... The kids are more comfortable with aggressive moves because their ability to adjust in the moment is greater and they have less awareness of the consequences of low percentage choices. Having been upside down a few times I have first hand experience of the physical and monetary costs of risky choices so my deeper database lets me pick my spots more judiciously.

The fun part is measuring yourself against the ultimate. The kids are getting everything there is to get from the cars and making perilously few mistakes. The process is humbling but always a worthy challenge getting to that special place you can only get to in a race car. :-)

Well, Mothers' Day just got interesting. My parents are in Vermont visiting my sister and brother-in-law. They were going to head home tomorrow, but dad threw his back out... again. So, now we might have to head east tomorrow and meet them somewhere in between to get my mother back home. I assume that my father (depending on his condition) might stay there to recuperate a bit, then head home on his own. We'll see.

Monday - Well, it seems as though your fiend and mine, Daenarys Targaryen, has shown her true colors with yesterday's penultimate episode of Game of Thrones. All that did was to reemphasize the impression I've had about her from Day One: a spoiled little girl who hasn't earned a bit of what she's got.

We didn't have to go retrieve my mother on Sunday after all. She decided to stay there with my dad at my sister's house during his recuperation. As of this writing, he is able to move under his own power today, and has relocated to the living room. So, at least he can watch TV and generally be involved with everyone else. He had been relegated to the bed in their guest bedroom up until now. If improvement continues, they will try to venture home on Wednesday.

Been trying to clear up the driver's side headlight on the GTI. According to the Carfax report for it, the car had been involved in a minor fender bender (don't know the specifics but nothing major) and the passenger side headlight had been replaced, so it was crystal clear but the other one wasn't. Still not perfect, but a lot closer than it was.

Also here are a few more pics of it. I'm thinking about getting a custom plate but I haven't been able to think of anything interesting for it to say.

Grey hides all the dents and scratches pretty well. I can't recommend the Mk V highly enough; it drives amazingly well, is practical, and gets exceptional fuel economy when driven moderately (I've hit 36 mpg a few times driving to/from work). I would definitely recommend the manual because the shifter and clutch action is very good, plus it doesn't need to be serviced every 40k miles like the DSG. The only thing I don't really like is the rev hanging that C/D and the rest of the automotive press don't seem to like to mention, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to figure out how to code that out via VAGCOM.

I could see part of John's comment, due to the "Friends Activity", and thought it pertained to this post. It reads as follows: "Maybe this is trivial but those headlights look really sad compared to the original. Considering that the makers don't have to worry about adhering to any road standards why not make them look good. I'm getting a Koenigsegg instead."

Grey hides all the dents and scratches pretty well. I can't recommend the Mk V highly enough; it drives amazingly well, is practical, and gets exceptional fuel economy when driven moderately (I've hit 36 mpg a few times driving to/from work). I would definitely recommend the manual because the shifter and clutch action is very good, plus it doesn't need to be serviced every 40k miles like the DSG. The only thing I don't really like is the rev hanging that C/D and the rest of the automotive press don't seem to like to mention, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to figure out how to code that out via VAGCOM.

He had a grey 2006 TDI Jetta with the manual that started to cost more in parts than it was worth around 340,000 km. He replaced it with a white 2016? Golf TDI, manual, that he kept for about 3 weeks. Wasn't a fan of whatever VW did to "fix them". Took it to the local independent shop that specializes in VW products to see if he could get a chip to bring it back to the original state. Their strong recommendation was to sell it as soon as possible. He did, for $200 more than what he paid for it, and is now casually looking for a GTI. I would think manual would be his preference.

Do you run premium or regular in it? He thought the GTI required premium, and wasn't interested, but I believe, like all turbo engines, it's recommended, not required.

He had a grey 2006 TDI Jetta with the manual that started to cost more in parts than it was worth around 340,000 km. He replaced it with a white 2016? Golf TDI, manual, that he kept for about 3 weeks. Wasn't a fan of whatever VW did to "fix them". Took it to the local independent shop that specializes in VW products to see if he could get a chip to bring it back to the original state. Their strong recommendation was to sell it as soon as possible. He did, for $200 more than what he paid for it, and is now casually looking for a GTI. I would think manual would be his preference.

Do you run premium or regular in it? He thought the GTI required premium, and wasn't interested, but I believe, like all turbo engines, it's recommended, not required.

I run premium. I can't remember if it says premium is required or recommended (I'll have to look on the gas cap) but I don't see the point in buying the performance version of a car and then filling it up with the cheapest gas you can find.

Thanks guys. It does have the plaid interior, and it's in spectacular shape especially for ~190k miles. The only things that I need to do at some point is replace the driver's floormat and maybe the steering wheel, as part of the finish on the metal part chipped off prior to me buying it. Those are my favorite of the GTI wheel designs offered, but unfortunately all of them are either bent or warped, not to mention all of the curb rash (hard to see in the pics but it's very noticeable in person). Something is also out of whack in the rear alignment because the rear tires have an uneven wear pattern, so they roar at speed. My next job will probably be replacing the CV boots because one of them is torn and the rest are all old and dry, and at some point I'll need to replace the timing chain as well.

One thing I discovered when clearing my sister's old Prius headlights a couple of years ago was, after sanding and buffing the oxidized layers off, the importance of spraying on a layer of anti-uv coating.

Without it the sun's uv rays quickly re-oxidize your good work. If memory serves I put on a couple of layers and then lightly wet sanded it with 1000 grit paper that didn't remove the protection but made it completely smooth and invisible.

One thing I discovered when clearing my sister's old Prius headlights a couple of years ago was, after sanding and buffing the oxidized layers off, the importance of spraying on a layer of anti-uv coating.

Without it the sun's uv rays quickly re-oxidize your good work. If memory serves I put on a couple of layers and then lightly wet sanded it with 1000 grit paper that didn't remove the protection but made it completely smooth and invisible.

Good to know, I'll have to grab some next time I stop by one of my local auto parts stores. I'm still planning on going over the lens with 3000 grit because there are some fine scratches that I'd like to smooth out a bit more, but it's certainly a lot clearer than it was.

It's hard to tell from the picture but this is what the headlight looked like prior to working on it. There was a ton of oxidation as well as several streaks going down the lens.

Do you run premium or regular in it? He thought the GTI required premium, and wasn't interested, but I believe, like all turbo engines, it's recommended, not required.

Just filled up a little while ago after running some errands since I'm off today. The sticker on the inside of the fuel door indicates that the minimum octane fuel is 91, but since we don't have that in NC I run 93.

Well took the plunge and got a battery electric lawn mower. It’s the self propelled Kolbalt 80v. I really like it thus far. It did the whole yard and had about 70% left on the battery, so I figure I can do the yard twice before recharging. Also it’s quiet, I don’t need ear plugs, our vacuum is louder. So you can basically mow any time you want to without bothering anyone. Cons, it was rather expensive compared to a gas mower of the same deck width, it is noticeably heavier than the gas mower it replaces and the electromagnetic drive takes a long few seconds to disengage once the drive has been released to back it up, once you get the timing down it’s not bad but it as annoying at first. For me it was a win though because I don’t have to yank on a pull starter with my dodgy shoulder, but I’d say if your shoulder works fine it defiantly requires a lot of consideration over a similar sized gas mower. Sounds a lot like buying a BEV actually.

I've been considering them as well, but I don't think one with 2x40V batteries would be enough to do the whole lawn. My BIL down the street has a Huskvarna, I may ask him if I can borrow it and see if it lasts. My yard is "officially" 80x130, but there is town-owned, citizen-maintained grass around the three outside edges that would add another 1/4 to that total.

My neighbor introduced me to his new E-Go electric mower yesterday and was singing it's praises. They claim the battery will run for two hours and after one hour he claimed more than half a charge was showing. He liked not having to wear ear protection and claims it cuts as well as his ice mower. He also liked that the handle telescoped and collapsed down onto the base and, because there's no gas or oil in it, the base would stand on end for storage in his garage taking up a fraction of what his ice mower needed. I agree the size of lawn covered and time required to cover it would sway the decision but suspect you could get a big lawn done with a fully charged spare battery that could be swapped out while recharging the exhausted one.

My neighbor introduced me to his new E-Go electric mower yesterday and was singing it's praises. They claim the battery will run for two hours and after one hour he claimed more than half a charge was showing. He liked not having to wear ear protection and claims it cuts as well as his ice mower. He also liked that the handle telescoped and collapsed down onto the base and, because there's no gas or oil in it, the base would stand on end for storage in his garage taking up a fraction of what his ice mower needed. I agree the size of lawn covered and time required to cover it would sway the decision but suspect you could get a big lawn done with a fully charged spare battery that could be swapped out while recharging the exhausted one.

Mine does the same thing, and since I already had the 80v Chainsaw I actually have two batteries. There are certainly advantages, but it does cost a lot more than even a high end self propelled 21in deck ICE mower. I'm looking at the getting the 80v snow blower as well, mostly because then I'll have 3 batteries and they do re-charge quick. It only takes about 1.5 hours to get back to full.

I've been considering them as well, but I don't think one with 2x40V batteries would be enough to do the whole lawn. My BIL down the street has a Huskvarna, I may ask him if I can borrow it and see if it lasts. My yard is "officially" 80x130, but there is town-owned, citizen-maintained grass around the three outside edges that would add another 1/4 to that total.

That was why I went with the 80v, plus I already had the 80v chainsaw so I have two batteries for both now.

Friday - Lawn's mowed and edged and frankly looks the best I've seen since we've lived here. Had a good dinner at Tres Potrillos and relaxed for the rest of the evening. I'm debating whether I want to do my thing at the pool today or take a break today.

Saw a GT-350R going down the street the other day, and he most have been going along at 25mph in 1st gear given how loud the exhaust was, it must have been turning at least 5000rpm but it sounded awesome! It really did sound like something truly exotic and ready to race. The funny thing was there was a slammed, two shades of primer, giant pep-boys winged civic with a fart can muffler tailgating him, and you couldn't hear the Honda at all. The Shelby Mustang was almost literally blowing it into the weeds with just it's exhaust alone.

Got the lawn taken care of today. The rain they were predicting came overnight as opposed to during the day. I took advantage of the good fortune. So, tomorrow, I'll head to the parents' to help do their lawn. With dad still recovering from throwing out his back, mom would have a fit if he went out to do it himself. He saw a doctor about it today, and got scheduled for an MRI. Hopefully, they can determine why this happens with the frequency that it does. Of course, I'll be hitting the local cars and coffee before all that. One must have their priorities!

Saturday - Had a listen to a pair of Sonus Faber Sonetto IIs yesterday. For a small speaker, they make a very big sound, to the point where, for some program material, a subwoofer wouldn't even be necessary. Very impressive.

Hoping to catch some of the qualifying for Indy today, presuming I can find the channel carrying it!

I presume they were bolted to the stands. I have never auditioned a pair of Sonus Faber speakers but they do look gorgeous (like most things Italian).

They were indeed on Sf's own stands. They ARE really good looking speakers, to be sure, but it's the sound that really sets them apart. I've heard both the Sonette IIs and the Sonette VIIIs, and they are UTTERLY about the music, for sure!.

A little old lady was walking down the street dragging two large plasticgarbage bags behind her. One of the bags was ripped and every once in awhile a $20 bill fell out onto the sidewalk.

Noticing this, a policeman stopped her, and said, "Ma'am, there are $20bills falling out of that bag."

"Oh, really? Darn it!" said the little old lady. "I'd better go back andsee if I can find them. Thanks for telling me officer.

"Well, now, not so fast," said the cop. Where did you get all thatmoney? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Oh, no, no", said the old lady. "You see, my back yard is right nextto a Golf course. A lot of Golfers come and pee through a knot hole in my fence, right into my flower garden. It used to really tick me off. Kills the flowers, you know. Then I thought, 'why not make the best of it?'

So, now, I stand behind the fence by the knot hole, real quiet, with myhedge clippers. Every time some guy sticks his thing through my fence, Isurprise him, grab hold of it and say, 'O.K., buddy! Give me $20, oroff it comes.' "

Spencer Pigot is on provisional pole for Indy. Spencer came up through the old open wheel Skip Barber race series and after winning the championship and a Mazda sponsorship in 2010 he also worked as an instructor for Skip Barber. Smart, hard working and a brilliant driver I've watched him lurk in the background of Indy racing making the best of his 2nd tier sponsorship and team. Not coming from a vast fortune he had to win races to earn sponsorship. His talent is there and I'm looking forward to seeing him, as usual, make the best of what he's got to take on the big teams.

What I'm really hoping is a good showing will lead to a tap on the shoulder for a first tier ride.

So... this happened today. Took maybe ten minutes tops. Rain was so hard you couldn’t see across the street. And the wind? Well, you can see what that did. Fortunately, we didn’t get the tornado that there was a warning for. I did, however, witness the pine tree in the backyard snap and fall. Glad it is over.

I would have posted a few more pics, but apparently, some are too large. Maybe later, I'll post a picture of what it looked like before the carnage.

It looks like the tree didn't hit anything? So at least there's that. :) Now just to clean it up. I can sympathize. We had 3 hurricanes down here in 2004 and another one in 2017. Not at all fun.

We were very lucky. Most all of the large, heavy stuff fell into the cemetery behind our house. So, they will most likely take care of the removal of that. Also, none of the mausoleums that are lined up by the fence were harmed. Miracle? Who knows.

We faired much better than a neighbor around the corner. A tree next to their house completely uprooted and fell right on the house. It's hard to tell the extent of the damage, but at first glance, they may have dodged a major bullet. Won't know for sure until the tree is removed.

Monday - Well, the one thing I wanted / needed to see with the Game of Thrones finale is the one thing I did get. As for the rest, it was surprising and it wasn't, really. Samwell Tarly's suggestion at the royal council was telling, both of their world and ours. Sansa's declaration was utterly necessary, considering what has transpired in the past ... and Bran? That was the real surprise for me.

What really pissed me off was Jon Snow. He did what had to be done and he got dumped on for his efforts, which is what happens hereabouts as well. Fiction emulating life or vice versa. As for Tyrion? Doing what he always did, as it turns out, and ultimately, that's a good thing, I think.